Courtesy photo – Duke Energy
Staff report
PLAINFIELD, Ind. – July 1, 2023
Duke Energy crews are making steady progress in restoring power to customers affected by Thursday’s powerful storms, according to Duke. As of Saturday morning, approximately 169,000 customers have been restored, marking significant headway in their efforts. However, a new storm system that swept through overnight has caused an additional 20,000 outages, bringing the total number of power outages to around 76,000 statewide.
Many in Bloomington, and the surrounding area, still didn’t have power on Saturday after Thursday’s bow echo thunderstorm tore down trees, and powerlines across South Central Indiana.
“The widespread nature of this storm, which impacted nearly all 28 Indiana districts we serve, has presented unique challenges for power restoration,” explained Anthony Brown, Duke Energy’s Indiana storm director. “Moreover, the arrival of new storm systems has added to the complexity of our efforts. With a workforce of approximately 1,600 on the ground, including employees from the Carolinas and Ohio/Kentucky, we are fully committed to completing the restoration process. We sincerely appreciate our customers’ patience during this time.”
Duke Energy has now posted estimated restoration times for the remaining customers. They anticipate that the vast majority of outages in the regions of Bloomfield, Columbus, Franklin, Martinsville, and Vincennes will be resolved by midnight on Saturday, with most customers regaining power even sooner. Similarly, for customers in Bedford, Bloomington, Clinton, Greencastle, Princeton, Sullivan, and Terre Haute, the majority of outages are expected to be resolved by midnight on Sunday, with earlier restoration for most affected customers.
While emphasizing the priority placed on restoring service, Brown also urged the public to prioritize safety. “If you come across a downed power line or anything in contact with it, assume it is energized, avoid it, and immediately contact us.”
Duke Energy has provided various channels through which customers can report power outages. Customers can visit duke-energy.com on a desktop computer or mobile device, use the Duke Energy mobile app (available for download via Apple Store or Google Play), text “OUT” to 57801 (standard text and data charges may apply), or call Duke Energy’s automated outage-reporting system at 1.800.343.3525.
For more information on Duke Energy’s power restoration process, customers can visit the provided link. Additional tips on storm safety and what to do before, during, and after a storm are available at duke-energy.com/safety-and-preparedness/storm-safety.
